Cooking with New Garlic

Photo from Clotilde Dusoulier, French food writer based in Paris who blogs at ChocolateandZucchini.com.

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Chances are when you think of fresh garlic, you picture heads of dried whole garlic, their cloves hidden within papery husks.  In the spring, though, some farmers, including JP and Sally offer new garlic, which will be in Glade Road Growing's farm share for June 27.  (This is not the same thing as "green garlic" which is picked earlier before the bulbs have swelled when farmers want to thin their rows.)

Dusoulier describes  ail frais (fresh garlic) or ail nouveau (new garlic) as "subtle and vibrant." She suggests that if it is tender, the stalk part can be sliced off and used as you would a section of leek,  sautéed with other vegetables or in a soup or broth.

As for the thick ribbed skin that encloses the cloves, she slices it slice thinly and uses it as she would an  onion.

Both of those parts can kept in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days before using, or minced and frozen.

She turns the fleshy, waxy membrane,into a cream of garlic.  To do this she brings water to a simmer in a small pan, throws in the membranes, and drains them as soon as the water comes back to a simmer. She lets the membranes cool and drain for an hour or so, then processes them with half their weight in extra virgin olive oil and salts to taste. The resulting butter-colored, mayonnaise-like spread can be added vinaigrettes and other salad dressings, blended into a stir-fry of vegetables as a finishing touch, or dolloped onto bread, fish or meat.

As for the actual cloves, she suggests you keep them in a ramekin in the fridge door, to slice thin and either fry them until golden in a little oil, to be set aside and added back into dishes, or used raw in salads. 

Or, if you like, use the new garlic cloves in the Greek spread skordalia, as suggested at the London blog VegetableoftheWeek.com.  He calls new garlic "moreish,"  the British term for food that makes you want to eat more.

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By the way, JP suggested I provide a recipe for garlic butter, so here it is:

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon minced new garlic

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together butter and garlic until well combined. You can store this garlic butter in an airtight container, refrigerated, up to 3 days.  If you want it to keep longer, you can freeze it.

Spring Rolls With Shredded Kohlrabi

Photo by Andrew Scrivani for the New York Times

Kohlrabi will be in the farm share this week from Glade Road Growing.  You can cook this milder sweeter descendant of wild cabbage in a variety of ways.  When it comes to the bulbs, you can  bake or roast 'em, pickle 'em,  stew 'em (I love them in curries),  saute 'em and braise 'em.  Or don't cook them at all.  This recipe is in the last category, because, hey it's hot come summer. 

The greens and stems, by the way, are also edible.  I'd suggest that you fix them as you would kale or collards.  Or, if they are too tough, after steaming them lightly, puree and add to soups, hot or cold.)

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Serves 4

The inspiration for using kohlrabi in a spring roll was Martha Rose Shulman, but her recipe uses rice sticks, while I prefer mung bean threads.  She uses tofu and I use tempeh. 

Ingredients:


2  ounces mung bean threads
1 package of tempeh, sliced into pieces 1/2 inch wide by 1/4 inch thick
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 small kohlrabi, peeled and cut into matchsticks (make sure to remove fibrous layer just under the skin before shredding)
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, cut in julienne
1/4 teaspoon of demerara sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro, plus 16 sprigs
1/2 cup of slivered basil, plus 8 leaves
1/2 cup of chopped mint leaves, plus 16 leaves
8  8 1/2-inch rice flour spring roll wrappers
1 tablespoon of ground, roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon of miso
1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

Directions:

1.  Place the bean threads in a large bowl and cover with boiling water.  Soak for 15 to 20 minutes until the noodles are pliable, then drain and transfer  to another bowl. Using kitchen scissors, cut the noodles into roughly 6-inch lengths. Pat dry. Leave the warm water in the bowl for softening the wrappers.

2.  Blanch carrot in boiling water until softened, about 45 seconds. Drain. Rinse under cold water to stop cooking.

3. Toss the shredded kohlrabi with salt to taste and let sit in a colander placed in the sink for 20 to 30 minutes to drain. Squeeze out excess liquid and toss with the sugar, lime juice carrot, ginger, chopped cilantro, slivered basil and chopped mint leaves. Let stand 5 minutes.  Drain the pickled vegetables, reserving the marinade.

4.  One at a time, place a rice flour wrapper in the bowl of warm water until just softened. Remove from the water and drain briefly on a kitchen towel. Place the softened wrapper on your work surface and put a line of tempeh slices in the middle of the wrapper, slightly nearer the edge closest to you, leaving a 1 1/2-inch margin on the sides. Place a small handful of noodles over the tempeh, then place a handful of the shredded vegetable mixture over the noodles. Lay a couple of sprigs of cilantro and a Thai basil leaf and a couple of mint leaves on top. Fold the sides of the wrapper over the filling, then roll up tightly. Arrange on a plate and refrigerate until ready to serve.

5. Cover rolls with damp paper towels and then plastic wrap.

6.  To make dipping sauce, whisk together peanuts, sesame oil, miso and pepper flakes and thin, as desired, with the marinade.  Refrigerate.

Serve within four hours.

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Some past recipes for kohlrabi:
Roasted Veggie, Chickpea and Collard Salad with Tahini Dressing Kohlrabi Home Fries
Kohlrabi Fritters with Tzatziki (Greek Cumber Yogurt Dill Sauce)Kohlrabi Apple Carrot Slaw

Fennel, Radish and Strawberry Salad with Sumac

Photo by Yuki Sugiura  for The Guardian.


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JP tells me the June 13, 2017 farm share for Glade Road Growing will include fennel, baby greens, summer squash, cilantro, beets with greens, and red radishes.

The Guardian had this lovely picture by London based photographer Yuki Sugiura of a salad with fennel and radishes with pomegranate seeds.  Given the season and what's available locally, might I suggest strawberries instead?  I've seasoned this salad with ground sumac, often added to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking to add tartness.  While the staff at Eats told me that they don't stock sumac in their bulk spices, they suggest you might try Oasis.  You can also harvest sumac here in the fall.  (Poison sumac has white berries, but for more identification, see this post from the Ashville, NC foraging company, No Taste Like Home.)

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Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 tbsp lime juice
1 fennel bulb, about half a pound trimmed
1/2 pound of red radishes, trimmed
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups of strawberries, trimmed and halved
1 tsp sumac (optional, if you can't find it)
Sea salt

Directions:

1.  Wash the fennel and trim the root end off the bulb and discard.  Trim off the stems and fronds and cut the bulb into quarters  and slice thinly.  Place in a bowl of cold water with 1 tablespoon of the lime juice to keep from discoloring.  Reserve stems and fronds for another purpose.  (I like to coarsely chop and steam the stems and puree them like I would celery in soups.  I like to puree the fronds with nuts, olive oil and Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese to make a pesto.)

2.  Wash the radishes and trim off the roots and discard. Trim off the leaves, if any and finely slice the radishes.  If there are leaves, you can use reserve them for another use.  (I like to chop and saute them, as I would turnip greens.  They also add a peppery taste to salads.)

3.  Wash the strawberries, drain immediately.  Trim off the top stem and leaves.  Cut in halves, or quarters, if large.

3.  To make dressing, whisk the oil and remaining lime juice together.

4.  Drain the fennel and toss gently with the radishes and strawberries. Drizzle over the dressing and serve on individual plates, dusted with sumac and a little salt.  Serve immediately.

Quick Pickled Carrots and Beets

Epicurious credits the photo of the carrots to Chelsea Kyle and Anna Stockwell in April 2015. Epicurious lists the photo of the beets as from the December 2000 issue of Gourmet Magazine, with no photographer credited.

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J.P.  tells me that this week's farm share from Glade Road Growing will include lettuce mix, carrots, fresh dill and kale and I thought it would be great time to develop a recipe for quick pickles.  (You could also use the marinade to pickle fennel and salad turnips, which are also in season.)

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Yield:  about 2 1/2 cups of pickled carrots and 3 cups of pickled beets

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Marinade:

2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 TB water and 1/2 cup demerara sugar;  or 1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon mustard seeds

Vegetables:
1 pound carrots
1 pound beets
1/4 bunch fresh dill, chopped

Preparation:

1.  Bring the ingredients for the marinade to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, stirring until sugar is

     dissolved. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.Cool marinade, then chill, covered, 1 day to allow

     flavors to develop. 

2.  Peel and slice carrots and slice on the diagonal into 1/8-inch-coins and place in mason jars.
3.  Remove beet greens, if any, and reserve to refrigerate until ready to cook as greens.  Cook beets in

     a saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Drain and cool. Slip off skins, 

     trim root and top and cut into 1/2-inch pieces and place in mason jars.
4.  Bring half of marinade to a boil and pour over carrots, let cool to room temperature, then cover
     and refrigerate for at least one day.
5.  Pour other half of (cold) marinade over beets, then cover and refrigerate for at least one
     day.

Serving suggestions:

You can serve the pickles as a side, topped with a sprinkle of the fresh dill or as a condiment for cooked kale or other greens.

You can also use the pickles in a great main course salad.  For each serving cover the bottom of a plate with a thin bed of lettuce, spinach or arugula or a combination thereof.  Top with 1/2 cup of cooked green or French lentils and garnish with both kinds of pickles, halved hard boiled duck or chicken eggs, topped with crumbled goat cheese and a sprinkling of fresh chopped dill.